He needs to resolve this thing with Minyoung. That's what the universe, stars, deities, or whatever is behind this series of dramatic events is telling him to do. Why else would he land in close proximity to Jaejoong and run into Minyoung?

Joongi tells his reflection in the mirror to stay clear-headed and strong till they get through this. He can't let emotions take over him and be unfair. And more importantly he can't be careless and let his father find out something that could be potentially horrible.

Lee Sangchul has shown his hidden affable side since retiring from business but Joongi knows that upright man who shows his disappointment with a terrifying aura is still there. If he doesn't leave Minho half dead he would at least be devastated, neither is something Joongi wants.

"Hyung?" Jiseok's voice is heard outside his bedroom with a knock on the door. "Are you done? Seungwon's here." With a deep fortifying breath, Joongi wishes himself luck and heads to the door. He opens the door with a 'what do you want' face as if he wasn't the one who asked Jiseok's secretary's help.

Behind Jiseok, Seungwon bows in greeting. "Secretary Shin, please come in. You," Joongi looks at Jiseok, "Get out. I'll talk to Secretary Shin in private."

Jiseok's single brow quirks before scoffing. "Nope. You can tell my secretary to do what you want with me here. You said you're going to tell me everything."

"I'll tell you once I've determined if there's anything worth telling."

"Are you going to be like those people who decided on their own that I shouldn't know my mother is a cheater and my father is a thieving gambler? I found out anyway hyung and I hate all of them. So unless you want Shin Seungwon to lose his job because of you, I'm staying." Joongi glances at Seungwon, his expression unchanging as ever even with the threat of losing his job. He does however give a single nod telling Joongi to let Jiseok stay. Not to protect his job but for something else.

"Fine..." Joongi relents, stepping out of the room and walking to the living room that he managed to set up with Jiseok last night as an effective distraction. He sits on the armchair and gestures at them to sit down too.

Jiseok sits on the longer side of the sectional, impatiently waiting as Seungwon brings the bag he left in the kitchen. Joongi doesn't show the same urgency as Seungwon puts three cups of coffee on the table and takeaway containers of shortbread.

Joongi picks up his coffee, telling Jiseok to do the same when Seungwon sits on the shorter end of the sectional opposite him. "Do you know why I asked for you Seungwon-ssi?"

The secretary nods stoically, "To investigate something about your brother without letting anyone in your company find out or letting word get to your father." Joongi gives a stiff affirming nod. It feels weird to conduct this like a business meeting but it's helping him keep his emotions in check. "I suppose I should give you some context first." Joongi's eyes flit to Jiseok, feeling that dread about what his cousin is going to find out.

"If I may, Hoejangnim..." Jiseok suddenly sits up and unceremoniously takes Jiseok's hot coffee cup from him and places it on the table. "You could spill that..." he says softly before sitting again.

With a non-verbal permission from Joongi, Seungwon continues, "I've been aware of yours and your brothers history with Park Minyoung since I began working for Sajangnim. And I, along with Jung Yunho and Jang Geunseuk, overheard the conversation between you and Minyoung-ssi that night in Jeju."

Jiseok's eyes flit curiously between Joongi and Seungwon but neither look at him on purpose. Something clearly happened that night he has no idea about.

"I should let you know that while Jang Geunseuk was surprised, Jung Yunho's behaviour showed that he had known all along."

"Known what?" Jiseok grits out. "Stop being ambiguous on purpose! What did you and Noona talk about? What happened? Someone tell me!"

"Park Minyoung had an affair with Minho..." For the first time Seungwon breaks his stoic expression, shocked that Joongi said it out straight. As expected Jiseok is frozen, almost as if he's forgotten to breathe. His mouth trembles trying to form words but understandably can't.

Joongi feels bad for just flinging this at him the way it was thrown at him not long ago. For his cousin, who admired Minyoung, this is a sort of betrayal in a way. "No... she couldn't..."

"Sajangnim..."

"Jiseok she told me-"

"that bastard! He really did it!" Both Joongi and Seungwon jump backwards at Jiseok's sudden rage. "I thought he was all talk but he really did it!"

"Jiseok, what are you talking about?" Joongi implores.

"That disgusting bastard!" Jiseok snaps, "I heard him talking to his friends. He was mocking noona... he was furious that she liked you first...but... said he was going to... or he already did it... he manipulated her. Made her believe that you toy with women. He wanted to make it so she was obsessed with him. I didn't think he would really do it...I didn't think she would fall for it..."

"That would make sense..." Seungwon mutters. He pulls out his tablet from his bag and opens a folder. But he notices Joongi a little breathless. Seungwon knows it be easy for him to hate Minyoung to find that she was possibly manipulated to use against him. "Hoejangnim..." Joongi is jolted by Seungwon's voice and inhales sharply. "I don't mean to be impudent Lee Hoejangnim, but I already investigated your brother." Seungwon looks at them apologetically. "I wanted to stay out of it. But I was worried it could be something that could hurt Kwon Sajangnim if it has to do with you or Park Minyoung."

Seungwon passes the tablet to Joongi, prompting Jiseok to crouch next to the armchair to see too. "Your brother is quite complacent. He is taking advantage of the lack of closeness between you and him. Keeping minimal contact with people here and staying out of the media seems to be an effective tactic for him, but not enough. Especially when Chae Hayoung’s mother flies between Seoul and Beijing as often as she does. Her mother isn’t very good at covering her tracks about the experts she’s consulting on behalf of her daughter."

"Of course... the only two living members of the Chae family...they have to congregate regularly to plan ways of not letting people know they're broke."

"What? The Chaes are broke!" Jiseok squeaks.

"They have been for over a decade. It's a well-hidden secret."

"You can't be serious! I saw her mother last month. She was showing off a blood ruby necklace!"

"Their family dates back to nobility. Most of their heirlooms are jewellery, especially rubies from when her mother's great grandfather was an envoy in Bhutan. What they don't have is money. Hayoung's father took over the Chaes business and ran it into the ground. By the time Hayoung was five, they had lost every asset to clear debts except the main family home and its heirlooms. They lived off an allowance from her father's family but that was nowhere enough to maintain the estate."

"Then why didn't they just sell it off. Or one of those rubies?"

"Because to the Chaes, keeping the family's dignity is everything. That is why Hayoung didn't take her father's name. He's put their prestige at risk. They preserved it by flaunting those heirlooms and no one knew they lost everything because their businesses were under different names. It looked like they had a minor failure and moved on to something else. Even we didn't know it until they suggested that Hayoung marry me."

"How did Samchon even agree? They are shady!"

"They were a prestigious family in high society. Their family history is similar to ours. You know how Abeoji was back then... he didn't even care she was only 16!"

"But... he accepted your refusal to marry her easily. That was the most unlike Samchon. I think he was counting on you to turn it down."

"I always felt that... he probably didn't expect Minho to swoop in. it’s a secret but we have a separate trust fund set up for Hayoung's mother. When I took over I made it so the allowance is deducted from Minho's assets. I don't want to keep their stupid secret and frankly she doesn’t use that money wisely."

 "It is a very well kept secret. I didn't find any sign that they are broke when I investigated." Seungwon directs their attention to the folder on the tablet. "What I did find is your brother's account making regular payments to a fertility clinic in Beijing shortly after they moved there." Joongi frowns reading Minho's personal bank statements.

It wouldn't have been difficult for him to check them himself with his authority. His brother technically works for him for an exorbitant salary and a fat allowance. Their father being the scrupulous one he is, after Minho had been irresponsible with millions in the stock market, had taken steps so Minho couldn't spend any of the family fortune or company money without Joongi or their father finding out unless Minho got a separate income source. He should be monitoring him for anything suspicious but felt that would be too meddlesome of him, especially towards his adult brother. Obviously, he was being too generous.

"Why are they doing this in secret? Do they think Abeoji and I would be upset she has fertility issues?"

"Knowing how perfect Chae Hayoung tries to be, she must think this is more humiliating." Jiseok winces at a specific memory. "Years ago, she was mean to one of her 'friends' who had adopted three kids I sponsored at my fundraiser for orphans. She definitely has issues."

They definitely do. Even though he ignores it Joongi knows Minho is desperate to produce an heir before he does. What's more disturbing is that the payment to the fertility clinic stop after the first year Minho and Hayoung moved to Beijing. Now they make erratic payments to some person that Seungwon has highlighted.

"What is this personal account they are putting money into?"

"A doctor, specifically a surrogacy specialist. Chae Hayoung's mother has met him every time she went to Beijing. It’s rare that he met Hayoung directly, but obviously her mother isn’t the one trying to get pregnant." Seungwon directs them to open another file. "That is his hospital in Beijing but it's odd that they are paying to his personal account and not the hospital. And they aren't even using the surrogacy agency attached to this hospital though they have very strict privacy protocols."

Joongi and Jiseok have matching frowns. It's like it's staring them right in the face but they don't want to see it.

"I... I don't get it... are they looking for a surrogate" Jiseok asks Seungwon. "More importantly, where?" Joongi's steely tone makes Seungwon nervous. He was dreading exactly this part and how Joongi would react. But if he did this much investigating without being told, he has to be honest with them.

"Hoejangnim, were you aware that Park Minyoung dropped out of law school for about four years after her internship?" Joongi and Jiseok exchange looks confirming neither knew. "She was supposed to graduate with Jung Yunho and Park Yoochun. But she disappeared. Her classmates don't know what happened and why she stopped coming. She just fell off the radar. I'm not even sure if her family knew where she was. No cell phone records, no pictures, no residence proof. Her bank account in which her internship stipend was transferred was inactive for four years."

"We get it. Make your point." Jiseok cuts in urgently.

"The thing is the exact time Park Minyoung disappeared, there was a young Korean woman living in one of the vacation homes your father owns in Beijing." Joongi inhales sharply as Seungwon continues. "My contact found the housekeeper who worked there. Her real job was to make sure that this woman didn't leave the property. She was confined to that home studying Mandarin and English in the library, watching TV, and gardening. In about four months, she was fluent enough to talk to the Chinese staff. She had no access to a computer or phone. The housekeeper pitied her, so she'd sometimes allow her to have short calls to her parents with her personal phone. This woman... was a willing prisoner for four years."

"Please don't say what I think you are..." Jiseok, agitated till he can't sit still, stands up and paces restlessly before kneeling beside the table and pulling one of the takeout containers to himself. "Jiseok, you can't supress your feelings with food every time. You have to handle it better!" Joongi grits out, frustrated as much as he is. "For my sanity please don't lose control of yourself!"

Jiseok knows he needs this from him. So he doesn't open that container but doesn't move either.

After gauging the tension in the air, Seungwon continues, "Lee Minho would visit her twice a week... there was no fixed pattern. She'd just wait for him every day... and the house staff had a job every time he visits... they had to discard any evidence of her on him. He has a room she was not allowed to go to. The housekeeper said... once she tried to help him with his tie. Right after he left, she saw the housekeeper put the tie in the fireplace."

The sound of hard plastic scrunching cut the ensuing silence. Jiseok was red in fury as his hands crushed the container and its contents. With a loud yell, he throws the crushed container on the wall behind him and walks away with a string of incoherent sounds of frustration. It was very concerning for Seungwon who doesn't want to cause such distress to Jiseok.

"Let him be... he needs to let it out..." Joongi wishes he could do too. Or go to the gym and spar with the first opponent he can find. But it wouldn't be good if he starts imagining some innocent person as Minho and bashes their head in. It's best if he keeps up his mental litany of staying clear headed. "Seungwon-ssi, from now on just ignore our reactions and continue. It's not going to get any better anyway."

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